Dressbarn is an
online retailer
Online shopping is a form of electronic commerce which allows consumers to directly buy goods or services from a seller over the Internet using a web browser or a mobile app. Consumers find a product of interest by visiting the website of t ...
that specializes in women's casual dresses, leisure wear, accessories, and workwear. The company was founded as Dress Barn and operated retail stores between the early 1960s and late 2010s. In 2020, it became a brand owned by the private equity firm Retail Ecommerce Ventures (REV) and branded as dressbarn.
History
The first Dress Barn (originally two words) was opened in February 1962 by Roslyn Jaffe in
Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford () is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, outside of New York City. It is the sixth-most populous city in New England. Stamford is also the largest city in the Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, Weste ...
. Jaffe stocked wear-to-work dresses and women’s clothing during an era of women entering the workforce in greater numbers.
Dress Barn began trading on
NASDAQ
The Nasdaq Stock Market (; National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations) is an American stock exchange based in New York City. It is the most active stock trading venue in the U.S. by volume, and ranked second on the list ...
(symbol DBRN) in 1982. In January 2011, to reflect its broader holdings, the company was reorganized as a
Delaware corporation
The Delaware General Corporation Law (sometimes abbreviated DGCL), officially the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (Title 8, Chapter 1 of the Delaware Code), is the statute of the Delaware Code that governs corporate law in the U. ...
named
Ascena Retail Group, Inc., with its NASDAQ symbol changed to ASNA in 2011. As part of the reorganization, the name was shortened to Dressbarn (stylized in all-lowercase).
On May 21, 2019, Ascena Retail Group announced that it would eliminate Dressbarn's brick-and-mortar format and would be spun off. Dressbarn was acquired by the private equity firm Retail Ecommerce Ventures.
In March 2023, Retail Ecommerce Ventures announced that it would be exploring options in effort to save themselves, including a potential
Chapter 11 bankruptcy
Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code ( Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, w ...
filing. They have also hired restructuring lawyers in effort to stave off bankruptcy.
References
Clothing retailers of the United States
American companies established in 1962
Retail companies established in 1962
Retail companies disestablished in 2019
1962 establishments in New Jersey
1962 establishments in Connecticut
Companies based in Bergen County, New Jersey
Retail companies based in New Jersey
Mahwah, New Jersey
Online retailers of the United States
American companies established in 2020
Retail companies established in 2020
Internet properties established in 2020
Ascena Retail Group
Defunct retail companies of the United States
1980s initial public offerings
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